THE MUSEUM OF FUTURES
SOMETHING WONDERFUL IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN
117 Brighton Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 5NJ
The Museum of Futures is a sustainable community space in Surbiton, created to enable more people to engage with and respond to community activity, help them develop a shared vision for the area and involve the broadest cross section of the community in delivering it.
It responded to our community’s desire for a permanent, local venue for anyone who’d like to see things change for the better, and who has the urge and energy to work with others on imaginatively making that change happen. An accessible, democratic, creative environment where local people can challenge any sense that there is ‘inevitable decline’, research ideas and collaborate on a shared vision for a more positive, inclusive future for our communities and businesses.
‘Plenty of community activities going on, brilliant initiatives like the Seething Festival, Surbiton Food Festival … and the Museum of Futures project – brilliant!’
- Community Survey
WHAT CAN THE MUSEUM BE USED FOR?
More than 40 business and organisations have used the Museum and its facilities. It has encouraged new business to start and businesses to grow, and introduced people to new experiences, skills, networks and friends. Local businesses and entrepreneurs have used research there to develop new products and services. It’s hosted business, creative and wellbeing workshops, visual and performance art installations, music recordings, robot workshops, Heritage Lottery-funded research groups, butchery demonstrations, pop-up restaurants, exhibitions.
It’s home to the Seething Writers and Free University of Seething lectures have delighted diverse audiences with new approaches to heritage, film special effects, psychogeography, sociology of community, curating in the digital age and aromatherapy.
‘Key people in the community have created a space that started with made up legends and stories but has developed into a real community of hope, fellowship and support.’
- Community Survey
THE COMMUNITY KITCHEN
A key feature of the Museum is The Community Kitchen, designed to enable local start-up or home-based food businesses with the opportunity many have been seeking to explore the potential for a sustainable business future in cooking and catering.
The Kitchen provides such independent businesses and the wider community with new opportunities to learn and develop. Through workshops, skills exchanges, demonstrations, research and food industry advisory surgeries.
HOW TO GET HERE
Train - South Western Railway
between Waterloo and Surbiton.
Bus - Towards Kingston 71, 281, 465, K2
Towards Hook, Thames Ditton or Tolworth 281, 406, 418, K2
GET IN TOUCH
Keep an eye open for news of activity, join us online or on Facebook or email us with your ideas on info@museumoffutures.org. The more the merrier. The merrier the better.
Here are a few ways you can get in touch:
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Attend one of our events and say hello. Our events are listed on the Spirit of Seething Facebook group
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Sign up to our newsletter
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Visit the Seething Volunteers stand at our events, or introduce yourself in the Volunteers of Seething Facebook group
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Send us your message below, and we’ll get back to you shortly or simply email helpus@museumoffutures.org.
We want everyone to help imagine the exciting new futures that can be designed and delivered through collaborating creatively with others.
‘Just thank you. You have already changed my life. Thank you. Thank you.’
- Community Survey
BACKGROUND
The Museum of Futures was launched in 2015 with funding from the GLA through the Mayor of London’s High Street Fund, and support from the Surbiton Business Community and Kingston Council, with the aim to harness the energy of everyone in the community to help realise a future we have worked together to imagine. The Community Brain encourages involvement with community activity, helping to develop a vision for the kind of town that everyone will celebrate with pride.
Our annual community survey reveals that anyone who actively joins in with local events and activity has a far more positive attitude to the area and a real sense that they can influence their environment and their future prospects.
These surveys provide a baseline for all future work and show the main barriers to getting involved are inflexible work schedules (51%) and too many existing commitments (35%). We also learned that downtime between events can leave people isolated, and a lack of a focal community space leaves many not knowing how to get involved, contribute and dream of making a difference.
The Museum of Futures actively responds to this community desire for a place allowing new ideas a home to thrive and existing groups a base to develop from. It has helped reduce the 40% thinking they have only minimal impact on making their community a better place.
State of Seething
Seething is a State dedicated to using creativity to bring people together.
Surbiton Food Festival
The Surbiton Food Festival is a spectacular community celebration and flagship event.